Death of Abed Hamed Mowhoush

Abed Hamed Mowhoush was an Iraqi air vice-marshal who had commanded transport, logistics and airlifting divisions of the Iraqi Air Force under Saddam Hussein. He surrendered to U.S. forces on 10 November 2003, reportedly walking into Forward Operating Base "Tiger" in Qaim in an effort to secure the release of his sons, who had been arrested in raids 11 days earlier. He died on 26 November 2003, after 16 days in detention at the Al-Qaim detention facility, approximately 200 miles northwest of Baghdad.

U.S. military authorities initially issued a news release stating that Mowhoush had died of natural causes after complaining of feeling sick, and told reporters he had been captured during a raid. Army psychological-operations officers also distributed leaflets claiming he had cooperated and identified insurgents. According to reporting by The Washington Post, these claims were later retracted or amended: he had in fact voluntarily surrendered, and had revealed little information during a period when he was treated well, and nothing after treatment became harsh.

When the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal became public, the Pentagon acknowledged that an autopsy had found Mowhoush's cause of death to be "asphyxia due to smothering and chest compression," with evidence of blunt force trauma to his chest and legs. The report stated he suffocated during interrogation by military intelligence, after having previously been interrogated by the CIA. He died while being subjected to interrogation methods involving coalition forces associated with the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, the CIA, and a group of Iraqi paramilitaries reportedly hired by the CIA. Court documents described Mowhoush being placed inside a sleeping bag and dying on the floor of Interrogation Room 6, two days after having been beaten by the Iraqi paramilitary group working with Army interrogators.

In 2004, four U.S. servicemen were arrested in connection with Mowhoush's death: Chief Warrant Officer Lewis E. Welshofer Jr. and Chief Warrant Officer Jeff L. Williams, alleged to have conducted the interrogation, and Sergeant First Class William J. Sommer and Specialist Jerry L. Loper, who were assigned to the detention facility and faced dereliction of duty charges. Their commanding officer, Colonel David Teeples, reportedly delayed pursuing charges, preferring a reprimand, until the Denver Post published articles about the lenient treatment of the accused, after which military lawyers commenced prosecution.

In 2005, the U.S. Army filed charges of murder, assault and dereliction of duty against Welshofer and the other servicemen, marking the first time coalition servicemen from the Iraq War or War in Afghanistan were charged with homicide-related crimes. On 21 January 2006, a military jury convicted Welshofer of negligent homicide and dereliction of duty, but acquitted him of murder. He was sentenced to a reprimand, forfeiture of $6,000 in pay, and restriction to his home, office and church for two months, with no prison time.